Process for manufacturing and applying fibrous caps for bottles and other containers.



A. WESTLAKE.

PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING AND APPLYING FIBROUS CAPS FOR BOTTLES AND OTHER CONTAINERS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 191a.

1,1 14,323. Patented 001;. 20, 1914.

Alfie-9f! Inventor:

M 4 Atty UNITED STATES PATENT oEFIoE;

ALBERT WESTLAKE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING AND APPLYING FIBROUS CAPS FOR BOTTLES AND OTHER CONTAINERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.;

Application filed November 6, 1913. Serial No. 799,574.

known, and to apply such cap in the most ef-' fective and hygienic way to bottles, jars, and

other containers, whether used for storage,

transportation, or dispensing purposes.

Experience has shown that fibrous material as heretofore manufactured, when used as a closure element, is either hygroscopic for lack of suitable moisture-repelling 1ngredients or if rendered water proof by paraffin or other repellants, the material becomes harshv and refractory when an attempt is made to mold it to the required shape to bring about an air-tight closure. Difiiculties have also arisen in producing fiber which would resist the attack of chemicals either-in liquid or gaseous form contained in the sealed package, and it has been usual, therefore, to efiect closures where fibrous material is employed as an element by using cork, metal, or some other material as a part of the closure device.

To have a' perfect seal for bottles and other containers it is necessary that the material of which the seal is composed should not be affected by the contents, and in most cases the seal should be air-tight. Fibrous material heretofore used for this purpose has fallen short of constituting a perfect seal either from some imperfection in-the material or in its application tothe container.

One object of my invention is to impart such characteristics to such fibrous material container than has heretofore been the-case,

thereby roducing a more perfectly airtight an effective seal or closure.

My lnvention is more particularly designed for use in sealing glass or porcelain bottles or containers, used for milk or drink- =ing water, for daily distribution andiconsumption, which articles, beingespecially hable to deterioration in transit or handling,

and of vital importance to the health of the" community, must be surrounded with up-to-' date sanitary sealing precautions. This improved fiber cap may be'used for various other liquids, pickles, preserves, jellies, foods, drugs, and "medicines that require cheap, effective and hygienic sealing.

I have found that ordinary wood -fiber paper cannot be shaped over the mouth of a bettle or container'and made to hold a definite posltlon and -;shape without mechanical means of retention. The paper is: either tough or stiff, has uneven creases and s rings away u on drying after being shape even when s aped so as to follow the various curves of the mouth and neck of the bottle .or other container. I have found. this to be the case-even after dipping the paper'ojr fibrous material in melted parafiin-or other waxy or gummy substances, or by suppyg' ing an inner seal of waxed paper, 'ar e 'or similar substances. I have there orefdevised a process which endows fibrous. mate? rial with suflicient plasticity and flowing or molding and instant setting qualitiesto insure an absolute and accurate contact throughout its inner surface, withall interstices of the glass or other surfaceof the bottle to which it-is applied, maintaining the o "the contents against quality and amount endosniosls and eXosmosis and is also sufiiciently strong, tenacious and durable to re and handling; also resisting thermal changes of extreme cold and heat, and of exposure sun'rays in temperate climes.

To carry out'my invention the first thing .to do, therefore is to selecta suitablefib er and so treat and manipulate it as to'h'ave'it act durin the subsequent operations and'in ;use' as it 1s intended to act as above stated.

As paper materialismost conveniently and effectively used for sealing or bottling purposes when'shaped in disk form, the first step of my new process is the formation of",

a' suitable disk out of suitable fibrous ma terial. The thickness of this disk will vary with the demand for resistance on the part of the container contents as obviously some containers by reason of the nature of their contents will require a much heavier and thicker cap than others.

In selecting the paper or other fibrous material from which the disks are to be made,

it is to be noted that if fiber is employed which has already been reduced to paper form, it is preferable to use uncalendered paper or paper in the soft condition of filter paper or blotting paper. If, however, a fiber is to be used before it has been brought into paper form, I prefer wood fiber or grass fiber, although most any fiber of animal or vegetable origin might be used. The fibrous material, however, whether in its original condition or after conversion into paper form is preferably treated with one or more of the various preparations generally employed for waterroofing paper taking care, however, that no ormaldehyde or other acid ingredients remain in the fibrous material after it is shaped into disks. For the same reason if calendered or water-proof paper is used as the starting point of my process, care must be taken that it should not contain any objectionable ingredients. It is, however, preferable that the fibrous material should be left rough and uncalendered until a subsequent step of the process.

Having selected as many thicknesses of the desired material as may be required with a view to the heaviness or lightness of the cap to be made therefrom, these thicknesses are to be coated or impregnated with some form of resinous or gummy and sticky matter of a harmless character, and thus the various thicknesses required to make the desired ply are to be rolled or otherwise merged into an integral sheet or web from which the disks are afterward stamped or out. In selecting the ingredients by which the separate thicknesses are to be united into one body, attention must be had to the importance of having everything employed harmless and sanitary and to insure that the fibrous material thus produced shall be water-proof, acid-proof, non-absorbent, and capable of resisting a temperature of 150 or over without softening. The second step of my process consists in heating and sterilizing each disk before it is brought into juxtaposition with the bottle or other container to which it is to be applied. This step consists in subjecting. the disks to a temperature of about 212 F. or over for such length of time as may be required to destroy all germs which may exist therein and render the'disk plastic and moldable under pressure, but not long enough to cause the same to melt, flow, or fuse. The third ste of my process consists in bringing this heated disk, without allowing the same to cool appreciably, into juxtaposition with the mouth or other 0 ening of the bottle or other container to capped, where it may conveniently be molded into the cap shape required by the character of said container. The fourth step of any process consists in bringing about a perfect and intimate airexcludin contact between what may for convenience e called the lower side of the heated disk and such portions of the container, inside and out as the cap when formed will contact with. This ste consists of several sub-steps, such as hol g fast the initial contact between the disk and the container which is preferably at the rim of the latter forming a central depression of desired depth in the middle portion of the disk to make the desired contact with the interior of said container, bending over, around, and under the remainder of said disk and molding or ironing the same into desired contact with the outside of said container. It is during this step of the process that the uncalendered or partly calendered material of the disk receives its final calendering. The last step of my process is cooling the now formed and applied cap to the normal atmospheric temperature, and this may be done either rapidly by the application of cooling drafts or agents, or by allowing the same to cool by radiation. Whether one or the other method of cooling is adopted, would depend upon how soon the capped container has to be handled for transportation or otherwise.

In the accompanying drawing which is diagrammatic, a indicates a disk of suitable fibrous material, I), a heating and sterilizing oven, 0, the neck of the bottle or other container, and cl the lower end of the stamping die or plunger head. The arrows indicate the direction of travel from the flat disk to the completed cap.

It will be found'that as a result of this process when properly carried out, the fibrous material forming the cap, has'shaped itself to conform to all the irregularities, interstices, depressions or marks, including screw-threads, if such there be, upon the opposing material of the container. In this way I am able to obtain a closure which is practically air-tight throughout its entire gripping surface and capable of resisting all ordinary displacement strains from within or without.

While the above process is, as before stated, more particularly intended for use in capping milk bottles and other containers where a quick sealing is required, and where the contents are intended to be retained only under the conditions of daily transportation and use, it is applicable to the sealing of jellies and many other substances which are intended to remain sealed for longer periods of time.

I claim:

The process of manufacturing and applying fibrous caps for bottles and other containers, which consists first, in preparing a 6 disk of suitable fibrous material; second, heating and sterilizing the same; third, bringing said disk while still heated, into juxtaposition with the container; fourth, applying said heated disk to said container 10 in such manner as to form a central de ression of said disk in intimate contact wit the interior of said container and to mold the rest of said disk over and around a portion of the exterior of said container and molding the same into intimate and air-tight:

contact therewith; and lastl coolin the cap thus formed to norma atmosp eriq temperature.

ALBERT WESTLAKE. Witnesses: LILLIAN' MACKENHORST,

W. P. Panama. 

